Ali honored at the World Economic Forum in Davos

DAVOS, Switzerland — Muhammad Ali was honored at the World Economic Forum for his efforts to promote dialogue and understanding between the Muslim and Western worlds.

Accompanied by his wife, Yolanda, Ali received the first-ever prize from the Council of 100 Leaders, a group formed at the forum’s annual meeting two years ago to promote understanding between the West and Muslims.

Britain’s former archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, who is on the Council of 100, recalled Ali’s boxing career and his public acknowledgment of having Parkinson’s Disease.

“Who among us was not stirred and moved ... as he lit the flame at the start of the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta?” he asked.

And as he repeated the boxer’s famous mantra — “I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!” — Ali lashed out with a quick left jab.

His wife, Yolanda, gave a speech to accept the award as Ali sat back down Saturday.

“Even though his voice is silent,” she said, choking back tears, “dialogue is not always verbal. Sometimes it’s about gestures, interaction.”

(Associated Press)